The Prestige

Perhaps best known as "that movie Christopher Nolan made between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight," 2006's The Prestige is an overshadowed and underappreciated film. While the lead casting of Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman certainly features built-in appeal, particularly among the Comic-Con crowd (Dude, Batman vs. Wolverine!), it also sets up unrealistic expectations. Far from a superhero smackdown, The Prestige presents the fierce professional and personal rivalry between two 19th-century stage magicians—Alfred Borden, Bale's intense conjurer, and Robert Angier, Jackman's smooth showman. As the performers' conflict gradually ratchets up, so does Nolan's pitch-perfect sense of drama, sleight-of-hand, and spectacle. With its many plot twists and turns, the movie runs the risk of becoming convoluted at times, but Nolan never fails to keep the story, based on Christopher Priest's novel of the same name, relatively grounded and intriguing down to the final revelations. Given its proximity to Nolan's Batman blockbusters, The Prestige may be hidden in plain sight to many prospective viewers, but those who discover the film will likely be enchanted by its inventive cinematic magic.